1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to an electronics device, and more specifically relates to an integrated circuit that is incorporated into a host electronic device that is capable of being commonly manufactured, but restricting the integrated circuit's use to a particular manufacturer, thereby preventing chip swapping and/or device cloning.
2. Related Art
The popularity of certain electronics devices has substantially increased over the past several years, including that of cellular phones and mobile tablet computers. However, such devices are also typically expensive and restrict access to certain device features that are only unlocked after payment of subscription and/or service fees.
In order to cheaply gain access to these devices, some consumers and vendors have begun to “clone” devices for much less money than the cost of actually purchasing the device from the branded original equipment manufacturer (OEM). For example, a counterfeit vendor can purchase each of the components of a branded OEM cellular telephone directly from the manufacturers of those components, from other companies who use similar components, or from other devices that use the same components. The vendor can then assemble a phone using those components that appears and functions nearly identical to the branded OEM phone. The vendor will then market the phone as the true branded OEM phone, but at a lower price than an actual branded OEM phone, and with none of the profits being given to OEM.
Similarly, in order to gain access to the full capabilities and features a particular device has to offer, consumers and some foreign countries have also begun performing “chip swapping.” Using the above example, a certain chip within the branded OEM phone may include the functionality to perform several functions, but restricts access to certain ones of those functions that have not been paid for. The counterfeit vendor can acquire replacement chips from chip manufacturers or from other devices that have those features enabled. The retailer can then “swap” out (i.e., replace) the chip included in the OEM phone with the acquired replacement chip. The device will then perform many functions for free that otherwise would require additional fees.
These practices of device cloning and chip-swapping cost OEM millions of dollars in annual revenue, which ultimately reduces the manufacturers' budgets for developing new and more advanced technologies. Thus, there is a need for a chip that can be inexpensively manufactured, but which can hinder chip-swapping and device cloning. Further aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description that follows.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the reference number.